Report: CTE found in brains of 76 of 79 deceased NFL players

According to a report, 76 of the 79 former players whose brains are being housed at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ repository in Bedford, Mass., show evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

PBS’ Frontline reported Tuesday that the findings represent a more than twofold increase in the number of cases of CTE, a degenerative brain disease found by researchers at the nation’s largest brain bank.

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The brain tissue of 128 football players who, before their deaths, played the game either professionally, semi-professionally, in college or in high school was studied and of that group, 101 of the players—just less than 80 percent—tested positive for CTE.

It is a skewed population, to be sure, since CTE can only be identified postmortem. Many of the players who donated their brains for research suspected they may have been afflicted while still alive.

Perhaps most famously was former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson, who committed suicide in 2011 by shooting himself in the chest in an effort to preserve his brain for examination.

At the same time, though, the brain bank’s director says the findings clearly link football and brain injury.

"“Obviously this high percentage of living individuals is not suffering from CTE,” said Dr. Ann McKee. “But playing football, and the higher level you play football and the longer you play football, the higher your risk.”"

CTE is caused by repetitive head trauma that triggers the production of abnormal proteins in the brain known as “tau.” Those proteins form tangles around the brain’s blood vessels, interrupting normal functioning and eventually killing nerve cells.

Patients with less advanced CTE can manifest mood disorders such as depression and bouts of rage. Advanced cases show incidents of confusion, memory loss and advanced dementia.

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